Prologo’s X-Shred Grip's unique design features many small hollow stipples set in hexagonal blocks under your hand for improved ergonomic comfort and a finely textured tacky control area for excellent grip. Available in subtle to mad colours, the X-Shred is a comfortable grip at an affordable price – making it a worthy consideration if you're looking for one of the best MTB grips.
- Lizard Skins Gradient Single Clamp Ergonomic Grip Review
- Best MTB grips 2024 - options to improve your comfort and handling
- The Charlie Aldridge interview - UK's newest Olympic hope
Prologo X-Shred Grips - Technical details
The Prologo X-Shred grip is a tapered design made from two materials bonded to the central plastic sleeve of the grip. The smoke grey textured silicone section nearest to the lock collar is designed to offer shock absorption and provide a soft tactile interface for braking and shifting control.
The outer section of black hollow-topped cone polymers placed in hexagon blocks starting partway along the grip is designed to offer a soft flexible and ergonomic shape for the palm and heel of your hand where most of the weight sits when you're holding the bars.
The hollow polymer cone stipples resemble a cross between Stickle Brick toys and marine corals creating more than just a unique look. The design is derived from Prologo’s research with both UCI Pro road and mountain bike teams using the glove version of this polymer configuration and the raised cones are designed to stimulate blood circulation and reduce fatigue and numbness for the rider.
The X-Shred grip has an overall tapered design, slimmest at the lock ring at 28.33mm and increasing to 35mm at the fattest point without squashing the polymers. The grip is clamped on with a familiar 3mm single-ended clamp collar and unusually has an open end and a Prologo-branded bar plug.
Available in Black/Grey, Black/Purple, Black/Orange and Black/Gum and priced at £24 They weigh in at 116g and are 130mm long plus an external bung.
Prologo X-Shred Grips - Performance
X-Shred grips need to be set up in the right position on the bar but unlike some of the more complicated ergonomic grips we have seen recently, this one is fairly easy to work out. You want the largest section of black hexagonal blocks under the heel of your hand for comfort and the thin silicone angled grey section is at its widest under your braking and shifting digits for maximum uninterrupted access to the controls.
Despite the unusual appearance of those weird hollow polymer cones, the tapered shape of the X-Shred grip means that your hands feel perfectly at home on the bars. You can feel that step down between the two materials but it's in no way awkward or odd – it's quite the opposite and feels good under your glove or even with bare hands.
The slim textured silicone grip for the inside of your hand is excellent for repeated gear changing and braking control when riding fast twisty undulating tracks and the overall level of shock absorption is good.
When the trail heads downhill and the surface is broken or rutted the hexagonal block pattern packed with little its hollow conical stipples offer both a secure and comfortable ride. You don’t feel that you are ‘hovering’ over the grip it’s nothing like that but the fact that those cones readily and repeatedly adjust to your hand shape feels great even without gloves.
After regular 2-3 hours riding sessions, my hands felt good and didn’t feel that bad after a two-day bikepacking trip with another grip, so I think outside factors are just as important here. A lot will depend on the standard of the grip you are already using. If you are using decent high-quality grips then the difference in comfort and lack of numbness might be harder to notice. I was certainly unable to confirm any increase in blood circulation whilst using the grip. I had no way of monitoring that, but they do feel good and I didn't develop any aches or numbness using them.
Winter riding and muddy gloves might create an issue filling the cones with dirt and rubbing those little pieces of grit into your palm. However, this is purely hypothetical as I’ve not experienced this yet and it's more or less the same with any textured grip. Cleaning them should be simple enough as the cones are flexible like shower head nozzles so just need rubbing with water and a soft sponge.
It is surprising to see a mountain bike grip with an open end, most of the grips I’ve used and seen in recent years have closed ends for safety reasons. The Prologo X-Shred utilises a bar plug that needs a hefty whack to get it in – these won't be falling out. I don't know how resistant it is to impact damage, but you can always push in another if it fails. Just make sure you never ride without a plug in the bar. One small bonus of this design is that should you feel the need to add bar ends this design makes that simple.
So whilst I’m not sure if it increased my blood flow to my hands, it certainly didn’t feel worse than the PNW Loam or ODI Elite Pro grips I was previously using and I like their feel with bare hands. There is a question of how long all those little conical shapes will last but so far so good so we’ll have to come back to that.
Prologo X-Shred Grips - Verdict
At £24, the Prologo X-shred grips deliver an ergonomic tapered shape with a shock-absorbing slim control zone and weird hollow cone Polymer comfort zone for your palm. They are undoubtedly a huge improvement over any stock grips on a new bike and despite the awkward looks should provide a better riding experience than many aftermarket grips.
As grip prices have risen over recent years these sub £25 grips offer many advantages for the user, but what else should you consider before massaging those stipples? PNW Loam Grips were initially reviewed at £14 but cost £25 today but still offer the same excellent grip and comfort in a wide range of strong colours. Another grip to look at this price is the All Mountain Style Berm grip for £22.00. We liked these for their tapered shape, effective texture and great value.
Prologo X-Shred grips might look a little unusual at first glance but give them a try and you'll be rewarded with a grip that offers both an excellent thin control zone as well as a flexible comfort outer zone consisting of hundreds of small hollow cones continuously adjusting to your hand shape for the perfect grip. Best of all they won't break the bank at £24 and there's even a choice of colours.
Add comment